Tent City: What Now?
It's official: Jane K. Fernandes was immediately removed as President-Designate of Gallaudet University, and will not be assuming the Presidency outright come January 1, 2007.
The key information is at the very beginning of the communique:
As far as the presidency goes, that will be the most sensitive issue, and one I'll discuss at length soon, in addition to some ideas about how to change the process so that we do not have to revisit this issue again.
For the students/protesters, it's incumbent that they clean up every inch of their various posts, Tent City proper, and any other area that they inhabited over the past month. I have no doubt they will do it, but it would demonstrate a show of good faith on their part to return campus to normal.
While Dr. Jordan demonstrated his disappointment, the portion of his statement that I quoted above is one I agree with: while there will be a natural, human urge and desire to celebrate in the wake of the Board's announcement, it's vital that in the days, weeks, and months to come that people minimize the talk of "winners" and "losers." Despite whatever "unity" there may have been on the ground at Tent City and among the protesters, the protest was a divisive one that split the community at large in many ways.
In some ways, the protest was beneficial in the long run: it forced all of us to have conversations that were either new or old, but had never been resolved, or compromised. Its incumbent upon all of us now to continue those conversations, but to inject rationale and logic among the energy and passion, to come to conclusions and results that will benefit us in the long run. Otherwise we run the risk of the only tangible outcome being the denial of the promotion of a divisive person.
While many may not see Dr. Jordan as a leader anymore, he is still the president until December, and perhaps beyond, depending on how the Board tackles the now immediate problem of determining the next president. That means that despite whatever dislike there is for his words and actions of the last few months, there needs to be some bridges rebuilt-- it's not just a question of human decency and healing, it's also a politically savvy move. By coming to the table, you ensure some degree of influence; by shunning dialogue, you risk being painted as an extremist with a narrow perspective and set of goals.
The final message from the Board of Trustees was clear: there will be repercussions depending on what laws or regulations have been broken. I assume this means that there will be action taken against those who were arrested, anyone who damaged University property, and other such acts. For example, the idiot who broke a window at College Hall will definitely need to face the consequences of his actions. I just hope that those who face discipline are facing it because what they did was serious enough to warrant such action, and not as a retaliatory move. This is where I'm a bit concerned-- I hope those on the ground who are rational enough to think it through will discriminate between definite legal (and logical) punishment and acts of malice and retaliation. People will need to accept the former, and should protest the latter. Of course, it remains to be seen how this will turn out.
For now, we are on the threshold of a door-- behind us are the events of the last six months, and in front of us are the problems we face: how to determine immediate campus leadership, and how to overhaul the search process. For the internal campus, there are a host of other issues, such as minimizing the damage from Fernandes' tenure at Gallaudet over the last 11 years, ensuring that appropriate procedures and policies are in place (GallyNet-L simmered over the summer with heated debate over internal Gallaudet issues that are going to need to be resolved), and most importantly, correcting academic problems and failures (such as making sure that the next time a PART Report or other similar assessment is released, that it is a glowing one for Gallaudet), so that Gallaudet can be what it should be: an educational beacon.
For the community at large, we are going to need to address the divisiveness, the age-old split between the oralists and the manualists, and how best to reconcile these issues while still maintaining the independence of ASL and cultural values. There will also be a need to continue the ongoing process of a community changed by outside forces, such as mainstreaming, cochlear implants, and similiar factors, and learn to accept or tolerate them while fighting for the basic rights that all deaf people should have, such as the right to an equitable education.
No, these topics will not go away overnight, nor will they be resolved immediately or by a series of committees-- it will be a long, internal and external struggle for each and every one of us. But each of us will need to do it in order to benefit all of us in the long run.
The key information is at the very beginning of the communique:
Today, we announce with much regret and pain that after serious deliberation in a special, all-day Executive Session of the Board of Trustees, we have voted to terminate Dr. Fernandes' appointment as President-Designate (currently effective) and President (effective beginning January 1, 2007) at Gallaudet University.This message from the BoT was followed by one from Dr. Jordan, in which he states in part,
“ In my Town Hall speech last November I said there is more that unites us than divides us. I think we lost sight of that for a time and we must work together to refocus on the core values that unite us. We should not look for a resolution to the struggle of recent months in terms of winners and losers. If we do, Gallaudet and our students will be the losers.”Dr. Fernandes issued a very brief message of her own as well:
“It is with deep regret that I heard the Board’s decision to terminate my contract.A final message made its way through official channels-- another statement from the BoT:
“I love Gallaudet University and I believe I could have made a significant contribution to its future. I hope that the Gallaudet community can heal the wounds that have been created. I trust that we all want a stronger, better, more inclusive Gallaudet where ASL and Deaf culture have been and always will be at the core of academic and community life.”
"The Board of Trustees respects the right of people to express their views in a peaceful manner. However, individuals who violated the law and Gallaudet University's Code of Conduct will be held accountable. We expect the University to honor its long tradition of respect for each other and property and to return to normal."What this all means of course, depends on the conversations and actions of the next few days, and beyond.
As far as the presidency goes, that will be the most sensitive issue, and one I'll discuss at length soon, in addition to some ideas about how to change the process so that we do not have to revisit this issue again.
For the students/protesters, it's incumbent that they clean up every inch of their various posts, Tent City proper, and any other area that they inhabited over the past month. I have no doubt they will do it, but it would demonstrate a show of good faith on their part to return campus to normal.
While Dr. Jordan demonstrated his disappointment, the portion of his statement that I quoted above is one I agree with: while there will be a natural, human urge and desire to celebrate in the wake of the Board's announcement, it's vital that in the days, weeks, and months to come that people minimize the talk of "winners" and "losers." Despite whatever "unity" there may have been on the ground at Tent City and among the protesters, the protest was a divisive one that split the community at large in many ways.
In some ways, the protest was beneficial in the long run: it forced all of us to have conversations that were either new or old, but had never been resolved, or compromised. Its incumbent upon all of us now to continue those conversations, but to inject rationale and logic among the energy and passion, to come to conclusions and results that will benefit us in the long run. Otherwise we run the risk of the only tangible outcome being the denial of the promotion of a divisive person.
While many may not see Dr. Jordan as a leader anymore, he is still the president until December, and perhaps beyond, depending on how the Board tackles the now immediate problem of determining the next president. That means that despite whatever dislike there is for his words and actions of the last few months, there needs to be some bridges rebuilt-- it's not just a question of human decency and healing, it's also a politically savvy move. By coming to the table, you ensure some degree of influence; by shunning dialogue, you risk being painted as an extremist with a narrow perspective and set of goals.
The final message from the Board of Trustees was clear: there will be repercussions depending on what laws or regulations have been broken. I assume this means that there will be action taken against those who were arrested, anyone who damaged University property, and other such acts. For example, the idiot who broke a window at College Hall will definitely need to face the consequences of his actions. I just hope that those who face discipline are facing it because what they did was serious enough to warrant such action, and not as a retaliatory move. This is where I'm a bit concerned-- I hope those on the ground who are rational enough to think it through will discriminate between definite legal (and logical) punishment and acts of malice and retaliation. People will need to accept the former, and should protest the latter. Of course, it remains to be seen how this will turn out.
For now, we are on the threshold of a door-- behind us are the events of the last six months, and in front of us are the problems we face: how to determine immediate campus leadership, and how to overhaul the search process. For the internal campus, there are a host of other issues, such as minimizing the damage from Fernandes' tenure at Gallaudet over the last 11 years, ensuring that appropriate procedures and policies are in place (GallyNet-L simmered over the summer with heated debate over internal Gallaudet issues that are going to need to be resolved), and most importantly, correcting academic problems and failures (such as making sure that the next time a PART Report or other similar assessment is released, that it is a glowing one for Gallaudet), so that Gallaudet can be what it should be: an educational beacon.
For the community at large, we are going to need to address the divisiveness, the age-old split between the oralists and the manualists, and how best to reconcile these issues while still maintaining the independence of ASL and cultural values. There will also be a need to continue the ongoing process of a community changed by outside forces, such as mainstreaming, cochlear implants, and similiar factors, and learn to accept or tolerate them while fighting for the basic rights that all deaf people should have, such as the right to an equitable education.
No, these topics will not go away overnight, nor will they be resolved immediately or by a series of committees-- it will be a long, internal and external struggle for each and every one of us. But each of us will need to do it in order to benefit all of us in the long run.
posted by Mr. Sandman | 3:41 PM
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